I would have expected given Buffalo FX ’ s modesty about the pedal ’ s power . The breakup reminded me somewhat of fuzz-style distortion given the bit of roughness around the edges that I discerned . But , what can I say , except that the pedal delivers a rich , full overdrive which sounded excellent , even when I strummed open chords . The pedal seemed to bring out more of the mid- and lowerranges than was apparent in my clean tone . I wouldn ’ t describe the high-gain tone as sparkling , but rather as balanced .
Adjustments to the Treble knob brought out the sparkle that I had sought . Buffalo FX designed the knob to add a tasteful amount of high-end — not too little , and not so much that the result would be shrill . Likewise , the Bass knob could thin out the tone somewhat or add punch and thickness to the signal . I tended not to feel a need for more Bass or lower-end power , but I appreciated the incorporation of the low-end EQ .
The limited edition ’ s housing is painted a bright ( optical ?) white , with green and black trim . The standard edition , however , comes in a black housing . It features screwset , Fender-style skirted knobs — the sort that can be found on Mustangs , Jaguars , and Jazzmasters , for example . Its green LED indicator light is a welcome change from the typical red LEDs . It ’ s also an extremely bright light , so take care not to look directly at it for too long . Fortunately , the LED can be dimmed via an internal control .
The Carrera is a solid unit that provides enough distortion to meet the needs of all but the most “ extreme ” metalheads . It does wonders for an otherwise boring clean tone by punching up the mid-range and adding a bit of edge to the higher frequencies . It ’ s powerful enough for rock , pop , and blues players , but I ’ d also recommend it for anyone who simply wants to color their tone in a pleasing manner .
Excellent clean-tone “ punchup ;” a surprising amount of distortion , despite Buffalo FX ’ s modest claims ; balanced distortion .
That LED indicator was pretty bright in the default setting .
I would have expected given Buffalo FX ’ s modesty about the pedal ’ s power . The breakup reminded me somewhat of fuzz-style distortion given the bit of roughness around the edges that I discerned . But , what can I say , except that the pedal delivers a rich , full overdrive which sounded excellent , even when I strummed open chords . The pedal seemed to bring out more of the mid- and lowerranges than was apparent in my clean tone . I wouldn ’ t describe the high-gain tone as sparkling , but rather as balanced .
Adjustments to the Treble knob brought out the sparkle that I had sought . Buffalo FX designed the knob to add a tasteful amount of high-end — not too little , and not so much that the result would be shrill . Likewise , the Bass knob could thin out the tone somewhat or add punch and thickness to the signal . I tended not to feel a need for more Bass or lower-end power , but I appreciated the incorporation of the low-end EQ .
The limited edition ’ s housing is painted a bright ( optical ?) white , with green and black trim . The standard edition , however , comes in a black housing . It features screwset , Fender-style skirted knobs — the sort that can be found on Mustangs , Jaguars , and Jazzmasters , for example . Its green LED indicator light is a welcome change from the typical red LEDs . It ’ s also an extremely bright light , so take care not to look directly at it for too long . Fortunately , the LED can be dimmed via an internal control .
The Carrera is a solid unit that provides enough distortion to meet the needs of all but the most “ extreme ” metalheads . It does wonders for an otherwise boring clean tone by punching up the mid-range and adding a bit of edge to the higher frequencies . It ’ s powerful enough for rock , pop , and blues players , but I ’ d also recommend it for anyone who simply wants to color their tone in a pleasing manner .
WHAT WE LIKE
Excellent clean-tone “ punchup ;” a surprising amount of distortion , despite Buffalo FX ’ s modest claims ; balanced distortion .
CONCERNS
That LED indicator was pretty bright in the default setting .